During the hours of New Years Eve and well into the following morning members of the Animal Liberation Front broke into Norfolk Cottage Eggs on Magna Rd, Canford Magna, Bournemouth England and took away over 600 battery hens.

We entered the unit via the roof after removing a corrugated panel and, using improvised ladders transported the hens in sacks out and away across adjacent fields to waiting vehicles. Before we left we caused damage and sprayed the walls with appropriate messages.

The whole operation had been planned for weeks and was executed with precision and compassion by the 12 strong team who gained valuable experience and are already planning further raids.

The battery cage system of exploitation is cruel and politicians now agree and so it will be banned in 2012 in Europe. We say civilised societies shouldn't engage in deliberate cruelty and should remove these wild birds from the cages now. Cruel farmers have no defence and should be aware we won't tolerate their outdated ways.

Those farmers who think they have another 9 years to change their ways ought to see what we did on New Years Eve. There is no excuse for animal abuse.

ALF